Baseball Recap: Onalaska Has No Trouble Against West Salem

Onalaska lost a heartbreaker the last time they played West Salem, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's matchup. The Hilltoppers blew past the Panthers 13-1 on Tuesday. Considering the Hilltoppers have won five contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Carson Zinnecker

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/05/26 @ West Salem	3
04/28/26 @ Luther	2
04/09/26 @ Aquinas	2
03/31/26 vs La Crescent	2
05/19/25 @ Altoona	2

Carson Zinnecker made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Zinnecker was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Ben Tempelis looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Tyler Kowal was a standout: he went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Onalaska's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 2-4 when he doesn't). Cooper Rudie was another key player, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.

Onalaska always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Salem only posted an OBP of .250.

Onalaska is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for West Salem, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-7.

Looking ahead, Onalaska is taking a road trip to challenge Sparta at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Spartans' pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so the Hilltoppers' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for West Salem, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.